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Red Devil Moon - Live at the Garfield

by Sombarkin and The Pam Ortiz Band

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    This is the music only (digital audio album). Includes complete liner notes. This is a live recording of a musical showcase featuring music from an original musical with music & lyrics by Pam Ortiz. Book by Robert Earl Price.
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1.
Pilgrim Train (c) 2013 Pamela Cardullo Ortiz I am a pilgrim Am a pilgrim Gonna climb on board Climb on board And ride that train Ride that train To see my Lord To see my Lord Where he sets a table Sets a table And he lays a feast Lays the feast And there the mighty There the mighty Gonna serve the least. Serve the least CHORUS: Bend and cut One for my woman Bend and cut One for my Lord Bend and cut One to pay the credit Bend and cut At the factory store Bend and cut One for the Big House Bend and cut And the next again Bend and cut One to buy my ticket Bend and cut On the Pilgrim Train Until that day Until that day When I board that train Board that train You will find me You will find me Cutting cane Cutting cane I use my back I use my back And the work of my hands Of my hands To glean a promise Glean a promise Of the Promised Land. Of the Promised Land.
2.
Luna's Tango 04:53
Luna’s Tango (c) 2013 Pamela Cardullo Ortiz Dance with me Come on a take a chance with me You cannot shift your glance from me Enraptured as I wax and wane The shadows darken and at midnight’s stroke We’ll cast our spell upon the shanty folk We’ll cover factory town in dusky smoke A mix of sin and boiling cane. Dark descends And all along the street the night portends Your truer nature and when nightfall ends We’ll see who crawls out from the cane. Don’t blame me The moonlight’s glow reveals your destiny The darker conflict you cannot foresee Erupts into a passion play. Hounds will bay Midnight’s creatures come out and play Owls see what humankind ignores Stay inside If the truth you cannot abide As trouble laps these swampy shores.  
3.
A Woman’s Gotta Do (c) 2013 Pamela Cardullo Ortiz A woman’s gotta do what a woman’s gotta do Got to feed her child and protect herself too If she thinks too much, she might get blue But a woman’s got to do what a woman’s got to do Well, she loves her God, loves her man Loves her child, Will she take a stand? She tries to sense right from wrong. If her voice is small, her heart is strong. In the fields the sun is hot. A man he suffers, he suffers a lot. But in the kitchen, if truth be told, A woman is waging a war for her soul. REFRAIN If somebody opened a door, tell me, wouldn’t you walk through? In a world full of walls A woman’s gotta do what a woman’s gotta do.  
4.
The Circle 03:04
The Circle (c) 2013 Pamela Cardullo Ortiz Up from rotting floor boards And cold stone factory walls The autumn dusk will grab you And hold you in its thrall Think you’re independent? Have plans to go your way? The chains of life wil hold you Mired in the Georgia clay. Pivot in the grinder will wear a man down. Man lives life in this circle ‘til he’s in the ground. You’re about as free As a mule harnessed to a pole. Think you’re on your way somewhere Think you’re in control. But season after season Everything’s the same. You’re still picking cotton. You’re still grinding cane. Pivot in the grinder will wear a man down. You’ll go ‘round that circle ‘til you’re in the ground. Pickaninnies dream of The men they’ll be someday Young men dream of jelly roll And romping in the hay. Working men dream of Better work and better pay. Old men dream of childhood And live in yesterday. Pivot in the grinder will wear a man down. No man escapes the circle ‘til he’s in the ground.
5.
Slow Boil 03:06
Slow Boil (c) 2013 Pamela Cardullo Ortiz Not too slow and not too hot Never give her all you got Stir it a little, but not a lot Don’t use all that fuel, Careful children, not too fast Got to make the sweetness last Nothing foreign, nothing new Please don’t kick that mule. CHORUS: If a little sweetness is your goal Simmer ‘til it just begins to roll Otherwise you just might lose control You got to keep it at a very slow boil. Canebrake’s rustling loud tonight Eerie in the red moonlight Strange things mixing out of sight Hold onto what you got Sweet thing sour mighty fast If you don’t respect the past Bless the ones who take a chance There’s trouble in the pot. Come here sugar, see what I got Sticky sweet for you Pulsing, rising in the pot Keeping it hot for you I will be your sugar daddy I’ll always be true If you’ll be my sugar bun Just a pinch will do.  
6.
Red Devil Moon (c) 2013 Pamela Cardullo Ortiz Boys it best you beware When you see it in the air That’s the haze of a red devil moon When the air is moist and thick It’s so sweet it makes you sick That’s the night of the red devil moon. REFRAIN: When you’re hungry for more Come on out that factory door You can’t hide from that red devil moon When your woman can’t be found Chances are, she’s playing around Led astray by that red devil moon. When the hounds start to bay And the chickens will not lay That’s the night of a red devil moon. When the mule spindles shake And the mill thread starts to break, That’s the night of a red devil moon. On a night such as this, When there’s magic in the mist, That’s the night of a red devil moon. And strange things will unfold When it has you in its hold On the night of a red devil moon. When nature is transformed Like the air before a storm That’s the night of a red devil moon. When the mule mounts the calf And you crave what you can’t have That’s the night of a red devil moon.
7.
8.
The One We Choose (c) 2013 Pamela Cardullo Ortiz A Paris night, the moon is bright upon the land A crowded street where lovers meet, you brush my hand. Just to think we’re passing there and no one cares what we might do or say Every walk of life is there and every form of life is on display. In such a place so full of strange and different views We’re free to love the one we choose. You take me to establishments with finer fare No longer small or scared, equal of any there Maybe we’ll sit down to tea, with china cups and dainty things to eat And leave together, arm in arm, we’ll stroll the streets In such a world, the two of us would not be news. And we’re free to love the one we choose. The feel of silk upon my skin, and I’m renewed Perhaps in the right setting I’m a lady, too. Who’s to say the difference between a lady and her serving maid Isn’t just a pair of silken stockings and a gown of silk brocade As music of the cafes fills the avenues We’re free to love the one we choose. We work together, side by side, just me and you. The ordinary things enhanced when done as two. Isn’t it a mystery that love can be around you all the time? Who’s to say it’s not the way God planned, It was just what God designed. Together we can claim a right we cannot lose, We’re free to love the one we choose.
9.
Good Enough 02:44
Good Enough (c) 2013 Pamela Cardullo Ortiz I am good when you need stockings I’m good when you need bread But when your heart is hungry You turn elsewhere instead. Don’t you think it hurts me deeply? Don't you think I feel things too? The way I feel about you, It is powerful and true. Don’t you think it hurts me deeply? Don't you think I feel things too? The way I feel about you, It is powerful and true. I was good enough on Monday When I caught you by the well, But when I see you Sunday You act like I’m going to Hell. Well, I was good enough for Mary, I was good enough for Sue. I was good enough for Maggie. Aint’ I good enough for you? I was good enough for Mary, I was good enough for Sue. I was good enough for Maggie. Aint’ I good enough for you? Would you rather be a pauper, Or be my captive queen? You could be my Cleopatra And I’ll be Mark Antony. And you’ll ride in regal splendor As long as you are in my grasp. Would you be like Cleopatra, Give it all up for an asp? And you’ll ride in regal splendor As long as you are in my grasp. Would you be like Cleopatra, Give it all up for an asp? Oh, love is for the landed, Those of a certain class. The landless poor are lucky Just to get a piece of ass. So when you’re in your shanty, Alone and feeling blue, Just remember what I offered, ‘Cause it’s good enough for you. Don’t you think it hurts me deeply? Don’t you think I feel things too? I was good enough for Mary, I was good enough for Sue. So when you’re in your shanty, All alone and feeling blue, Just remember what I offered, ‘Cause it’s good enough for you.
10.
Tree and Man 02:49
Tree and Man (c) 2013 Pamela Cardullo Ortiz & Robert Earl Price Somewhere on the veldt there’s a tree, brother Where your fathers knelt, on their knees, brother We have always felt sympathy for one another. Tree and man. Man and tree. The day that you came forth on this earth, brother Beneath my roots they buried the afterbirth, brother Our two lives are twined, for what it’s worth, brother Tree and man. Man and tree. I could be a drum to keep the beat, brother. I could be a stool and be your seat, brother. Our two souls complete one another. Tree and man. Man and tree. If I can’t be a drum Lord, let me be a stool If I can’t be a drum Lord, let me be a stool Let me be a wooden witness , nobody’s fool. Carve from me a sword for the fight, brother. Plane me and I’ll be your shield, for cover. Boil my sap and salve your wounds, brother. Tree and man. Man and tree. Your afterbirth and ashes nourish me, brother. Just as you eat the fruit from the tree, brother. What I exhale you inhale, continually, brother. Tree and man. Man and tree. I could be a mantle Or a widow’s wooden spool I could be a mantle Or a widow’s wooden spool Let me serve a purpose, be nobody’s fool.
11.
Whole Man 03:30
Whole Man (c) 2013 Pamela Cardullo Ortiz LOUISA: Bring me a whole man, and nothing less Only a whole man can give me that sweet caress That my whole woman is longing for. Don’t you bring no half man ‘round my door. I want your whole heart, a half won’t do Only a whole heart can love me through and through If you love me half-hearted it won’t be nice. You’ll only get me half-way to paradise. In my whole life, I could not see There might be a whole man like you out there for me. I waited my whole life for a real man’s touch I’m not giving it up for half as much! TOM: There’s not a living man who can compete Without a woman’s love, he’s incomplete. Not ‘til I have her, hold her, make her mine, Will my star begin to shine. So baby, give me what you got to give The breathe upon your lips is what I need to live Do not deprive me of a brother’s due ‘Cause you’re made for me and I’m made for you. LOUISA: And that is where you have me wrong It’s what I’ve been telling you throughout this whole damn song Until you’re all you need, no longer bought and sold ‘Til you can stand alone without a hand to hold Until your man enough to let me be You can’t be the man for me.
12.
Ain't No Fire (c) 2013 Pamela Cardullo Ortiz Call me boy, tell me to run, will you? Save my life, if I can. Even now, you’ll tell me when to fear as if that Too is for you to command. Well I wonder, do you tell the stars when to rise? Is it you tells the birds when to take to the skies? Do the trees change their hues at the blink of your eyes? Cause there Ain’t no fire, ain’t no fist Ain’t no hangman gonna make me twist Ain’t no devilish hound of hell Try your torture, it won’t work so well ‘Cause I’ll do everything I can To show you I’m a man As this tree is my witness As the moon testifies I’ve a destiny unrelated to Anything you can surmise. Imagine a world where you don’t own it all Not my dreams, not my loves, not my hands, not my soul Just a world where our love is beyond your control ‘Cause I’ve the rage of the ages in my blood Rising with the tempest like a mighty flood It’s bound to overwhelm us both But I’ll stand my ground and by my oath I’ll do everything I can To show you I’m a man.
13.
Meet Me at the Station (c) 2013 Pamela Cardullo Ortiz Meet me at the station Ride these rails of hope It needs no explanation Slip off the hanging rope Choose a life of peace with me Where what you earn is yours. Together we will stand secure. Together we will stand secure. Meet me at the station I’ll be waiting there There’s a brighter nation For those who pay the fare. In the North, it’s not a crime To be a poor, black man in debt. Leave these fields with no regret. Leave these fields with no regret. Meet me on the platform Climb aboard that train Come embrace the future Sing a new refrain Come enjoy the full and fruitful Labor of your hands In a bright, new promised land. In a bright, new promised land. Labor in the cane fields Produces syrup sweet But all that you can savor Is somehow incomplete All your efforts line the pockets Of he who owns the land In the fields you’re half a man. In the fields you’re half a man. Join us in the city Hear the factory bell. There’s work for every man there One can live quite well. We’ll rent a room and raise our children Free from fear and care Freedom’s only sweet when shared. Freedom’s only sweet when shared.
14.
Raise High Your Voices (c) 2013 Pamela Cardullo Ortiz Raise high your voices, raise ‘em high There’s a train in the station And it’s time to say goodbye. Raise high your voices, raise ‘em high My soul is on the mountain and it’s Ready to fly. I’ll miss these fields of cotton I’ll miss this shanty town But we’ll make a place for you When your turn comes around I’ll miss the scent of sugarcane, Sweet jasmine and lilac. But we’re off to new adventures And there is no turning back. Once I was a simple man, I did my daily best, But something grew inside of me A-pounding in my breast. And now I’m even simpler, I put my trust in God, I do not know just where to go But step where he has trod. When I could go no further, A broken, shattered man Somehow the good Lord found me And made me whole again And if the train won’t leave the station We’ll lift our voice and sing And the cars will glide down the rails Propelled by angels’ wings.

about

A live performance of a musical showcase featuring music from the musical, Red Devil Moon: Inspired by Jean Toomer's Cane. Book by Robert Earl Price. Music & Lyrics by Pam Ortiz.

credits

released January 8, 2015

Sombarkin
Karen Somerville (vocals)
Lester Barrett Jr. (vocals)
Jerome McKinney (vocals)

Pam Ortiz Band
Nevin Dawson (violin, djembe, vocals)
Philip Dutton (piano, vocals)
Bob Ortiz (percussion, vocals)
Pam Ortiz (guitar, piano, vocals)
Ford Schumann (guitar, vocals)

Special Guets
Tom Anthony (bass)
Ray Anthony (drums)

Narrator
Robert Earl Price

Recorded, Mixed and Engineered by
Jeff Gruber, Blue House Productions, Silver Spring, MD
Bluehouseproductions.com

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Pam Ortiz Chestertown, Maryland

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